Sirach 19

Sirach 19Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

19 A drunken workman shall not be made rich; and he that chargeth not little sins, falleth down into grievouser sins, little and little. [The drunkard workman shall not be made rich; and who despiseth little things, little-meal down falleth.]

2 Wine and women make to be apostates, yea, wise man [or Wine and women make also wise men to go backward]; and they reprove witty men. And he that joineth himself to whores, shall be wicked;

3 rot and worms shall inherit him, and he shall be set on high into more ensample, and his soul shall be taken away from (the) number of chosen men. [rottenness and worms shall heritage him, and his soul shall be taken away from the number.]

4 He that believeth soon, is unstable in heart, and shall be made less; and he that trespasseth against his (own) soul, shall be had furthermore. [Who believeth soon, is light in heart, and shall be less(en)ed; and who trespasseth into his soul, furthermore shall be had.]

5 He that joineth in wickedness, shall be cursed; and he that hateth blaming, shall be made less in life; [Who joyeth in wickedness, shall be reproved; and who hateth correction, shall be less(en)ed in life;]

6 and he that hateth jangling, quencheth malice. He that sinneth against his (own) soul, shall (not) repent; and that is merry in malice, shall be cursed. [and who hateth much speech, quencheth malice. And who sinneth into his soul, shall not do penance; and who is merry in malice, shall be reproved.]

7 Rehearse thou (or repeat) not an hard word, and wicked, [or shrewd, (or depraved)]; and thou shalt not be made less.

8 Do not thou tell thy wit to friend and (or) to; and if trespass is to thee, do not thou make (it) naked. [To friend and enemy do thou not tell thy wit; and if there is to thee guilt, do thou not nakened (it).]

9 For he shall hear thee, and shall keep thee, and he as defending the sin shall hate thee; and so he shall be ever(more) with thee. [Forsooth he shall hear thee, and keep thee, and as defending sin he shall hate thee; and so he shall be nigh to thee.]

10 Thou hast heard a word against thy neighbour; die it (al)together in (or with) thee, and trust thou that it shall not break thee.

11 A fool travaileth greatly of (or in) the face of a word, as the sorrow of (the) bearing of a young child [or as the wailing of the birth of a child].

12 An arrow fastened in the hip of a dog, so a word in the heart of a fool. [An arrow fixed into the hip of an hound, so a word in the heart of a fool.]

13 Reprove thou a friend, lest peradventure he understand not, and say, I did (it) not; either if he hath done (it), lest he add to do (it) again. [Chastise a friend, lest peradventure he understand not, and say, I did not; or if he have done (it), lest again he add to do (it).]

14 Reprove thou a neighbour, lest peradventure he say (it) not; and if he saith (it), lest peradventure he rehearse (or repeat) (it). [Chastise a neighbour, lest peradventure he shall not say; and if he said (it), lest peradventure he rehearse (or repeat) (it).]

15 Reprove thou a friend, for why trespassing is done often; and believe thou not to each word. [Chastise a friend, oft forsooth is done trespass; and not to each word believe thou.]

16 There is a man that falleth [or that slideth] by his tongue, but not of will, that is, wittingly and of (or on) purpose. For why who is he, that trespasseth not in (or with) his tongue?

17 Reprove thou a neighbour, betwixt thee and him, before that thou menace (him); and give thou place to the dread of the Highest. [Chastise a neighbour, ere that thou threaten (him); and give place to the dread of the Highest.]

18 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

19 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

20 For why all wisdom is the dread of God, and in that wisdom for to dread God; and the ordinance of (the) law is in all wisdom. [For each wisdom the dread of God, and in it to dread God; and in all wisdom the disposing of the law.]

21 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

22 And the teaching of wickedness is not wisdom; and the prudence of sins is not good thought. [And wisdom is not the discipline of shrewdness (or of depravity); and good thinking is not the prudence of sins.]

23 There is wickedness of prudence, and cursedness is therein; and there is an unwise man, which is made little in wisdom. [There is shrewdness (or depravity) of prudence, and in it cursing; and there is an unwise man, that is less(en)ed in wisdom.]

24 Better is a man that hath little wisdom, and failing in wit, in the dread of God, than he that hath plenty of wit, and breaketh the law of the Highest. [Better is a man that is less(en)ed in wisdom, and failing wit in the dread of God, than that aboundeth in wit, and over-passeth the law of the Highest.]

25 There is (a) certain subtlety [or slyness], and it is wicked. And there is a man, that sendeth out a certain word, telling out (the) truth.

26 There is a man that meeketh himself wickedly to deceive men the more; and his inner things be full of guile. [There is, that shrewdly meeketh himself; and the entrails of him be full of treachery.]

27 And there is a just man, that maketh low greatly himself of (or by) much meekness; and there is a just man, that boweth the face, and feigneth him(self) to see not that, that is unknown. [And there is a rightwise man, that much underputteth himself of (or by) much meekness; and there is a rightwise (man), that boweth in the face, and feigneth him not to see that (that) is unknown.]

28 Though he is forbidden of (or by) feebleness of strengths to do sin; if he findeth (the) time to do evil, he shall do evil. [And if of infirmity of strengths he is forbidden to sin; if he shall find time of evil doing, he shall evil do.]

29 A man is known by (his) sight (or by his appearance); and a witty (or a witting, or a knowing) man is known by meeting of face.

30 The clothing of (the) body, and the laughing of teeth, and the entering [or the going in] of a man, tell out of him.

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